Walking in a city I do not know

These are the reflections from taking a long walk in a city that I do not know.

The more of the world that you see, the more you realize how big and incredible unique every city, neighbourhood and person is. No matter how fast or how wide technology and globalization may bring us together and create uniformity, there is just something special about the complexities of people and the way the physical world manifests through our minds and aspirations.

I took a walk by myself through Songdo, South Korea and explored random bits of the city not knowing where I was really going, and soon I realized how small I felt in this world as I was surrounded by a language I cannot speak, towers that scrape the sky, and a culture so different from what I’m used to. While we often stereotype and label people and things — it’s a powerless feeling when you’re placed where you know nothing and are basically stripped of all of your typical comforts or privileges. It rips away any sense of having power over your environment because you become like a child in a new world so many thousand miles away from predictability and comfort.

When detached from routine life, you often find the “real you” as you are forced to be yourself in every decision that you make; in contrast of falling back on habit. Every corner you turn, the way you interpret new things and the thoughts that race through your head — you have to think and not just “live” mindlessly through what you’re used to. We often live through life without thinking and realizing what we are and the wonders that surrounds us.

The one thing that I believe we could all use more of is the chance to think independently. Thinking that is stimulated by new surroundings and new environments. The type of thinking that elevates our self-awareness and appreciation of life’s simple wonders.

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Have you every experienced something similar when you were working or travelling abroad in a new environment? I’d love to hear it — @gdondon